Archives

AT MWC 2014 Sony unwraps the Xperia Z2 flagship, a refinement of last year's Xperia Z1. Sony has carved out a niche for itself over the past couple of years with its waterproof range of smartphones; its latest flagship, the Sony Xperia Z2, builds on that position of strength. It has a 5.2" screen - a 1080p Triluminos IPS screen, with the same Bravia tech used in Sony's TV. Like the Samsung Galaxy S5, however, it doesn’t deliver anything particularly radical, but it redefines everything Sony learned over the year from Xperia Z and Z1. It's powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 801 chipset with four Krait 400 cores at 2.3GHz, 3GB RAM and runs the latest version of Google’s Android 4.4.2 “KitKat” with some minor customisations, including some Sony applications and media subscription services. The Z2 packs 16GB of storage, plus a micro SD card slot for adding up to 64GB of space

The big feature of Xperia Z2 is its 20.7MP camera. It has been updated with 4K video recording (at 30fps). The camera features the same 1/2.3" sensor with 27mm G Lens with f/2.0 aperture. Sony claims that recording in 4K is “future-proofing” your memories, which is arguably true, but it has integrated a video zoom function to make it more useful today with common full HD TVs. Z2's camera has gotten several new modes. One of the new effects is Timeshift, which records 720p video at 30fps. Another one is the Background defocus, yet another is a dedicated mode for Vines. Sony has also improved the device's sound capabilities — one of Z1's weak points — with a STM10 stereo mic that enables stereo audio recording, as well as stereo speakers and digital noise cancelling tech.

The Z2 has the same tempered glass front and rear; the detailing on the edges and corners is identical; and the camera, flash and buttons around the edges of the phone are exactly as you’d find them on the Z1. Despite the size increase, the new flagship is only a little taller and actually narrower and thinner. The battery capacity went up a tad to 3,200mAh, while the weight went down to 158g from Xperia Z 163g. As before, the Xperia Z2 has an IP58 certification, allowing it to work under water.

In short, Sony seems to have taken the Xperia Z1 and improved it in nearly every way it could, while leaving design nearly the same. The phone will launch in March at €600 / £600. The initial color options are White, Black and Purple. Sony will also pack an advanced headset with digital noise cancellation, the Sony MDR-NC31EM, priced £40.